Earlier this month, community leaders and advocates gathered in Boone to call attention to the unfinished recovery from Hurricane Helene and hold Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley accountable for his record as the Trump administration’s Hurricane Helene Recovery Czar.
Hosted by the Coalition Against Right-Wing Extremism (C.A.R.E.), the event highlighted the challenges many western North Carolina communities continue to face nearly two years after the storm, with billions of dollars in unmet recovery needs still outstanding.
Boone Mayor Dalton George, North Carolina League of Conservation Voters Senior Director of Public Affairs Dan Crawford, and Jacob Brooks, North Carolina Director for Patriotic Millionaires, spoke about the importance of continued recovery efforts and criticized Whatley’s leadership following his appointment to the FEMA Review Council.
Speakers argued that while communities across western North Carolina relied on neighbors, local governments, nonprofits, and volunteers to rebuild, Whatley failed to deliver the federal support residents were promised.
As of May, the federal government had provided roughly $8 billion toward an estimated $60 billion in Hurricane Helene damages.
They also raised concerns that Whatley used his position on the FEMA Review Council to support recommendations that would privatize portions of the National Flood Insurance Program while he and his family held more than $190,000 in investments tied to flood insurance companies.
The event comes as another hurricane season is underway and many western North Carolina communities continue rebuilding.
Speakers urged elected leaders to prioritize disaster recovery and ensure families receive the federal resources they need instead of advancing policies that could make rebuilding even more expensive.
